Shelter doing well coming out of holidays

ROCHESTER — Homeless Center Executive Director Susan Ford expects to have a full house by week’s end, but she is citing a great holiday season, which included a sizeable donation.

“Santa visited us on the Friday before Christmas so everyone at the shelter, especially the children, were very excited about that,” she said. “The shelter was blessed in receiving a very significant anonymous donation, which we are extremely thankful for.”

Following a normal lull at Christmas, the Homeless Center was slated to be full last Friday, but a family of seven didn’t show up, so staff began scheduling appointments from people on their waiting list.

“With the cold weather really setting in in the last couple of weeks, calls for shelter will probably increase,” Ford said.

As of this week, there were five adults and four children living at the shelter. The makeup of the clientele this season so far is similar to two years ago, comprising younger parents with one or two children. Last year, Ford, explains, there were larger families with more children.

The Homeless Center for Strafford County is a seasonal shelter, open from October through April. It generally houses single women and children and occasionally full families, but rarely single men. Because single men aren’t usually admitted, the shelter is not eligible for state or federal money and runs solely on donations.

Despite the recent anonymous donation, the homeless center still has many needs. Toilet paper and paper towels are high on their list, as well as gift cards from any local grocery or department store to purchase goods as the need arises.

The homeless center, located on donated Waste Management property, is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization and donations are tax deductible. Contact them to make a donation at (603) 332-3065.